Snowflake Bentley - Memoir / Biography

   

Source: Google Images

       Winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal, Snowflake Bentley is a true story of Wilson Bentley, born in 1865 in a small farming community of Vermont. He grew up in an area which saw much snowfall during the winter months. 

      As he became older and expressed great interest in snowflakes, his parents purchased for him a camera – expensive at the time as the camera was a recent invention – to instantly capture images of each snowflake. Thus, until his death in 1931, Wilson Bentley captured thousands of individual snowflakes with his camera.

Source: Google Images

      
      This is a beautifully illustrated book by artist Mary Azarian who uses wood-cut illustrations to accurately depict the simple life of Wilson Bentley and his love for snow. Additionally, actual photographs of Wilson Bentley are shown. Suitable for ages 4 to 8 years old, and even beyond, Snowflake Bentley is an excellent choice for read aloud sessions with children. Even in areas of the world where it does not snow, children will discover the science of nature and see actual shapes of snowflakes.

Actual images of snowflakes
Source: Google Images

      Classroom activities could include the drawing of snowflakes by each child. As no two snowflakes are alike, all drawings need to display different patterns. This is an opportunity for individual creativity and exploration. For older students, the molecular structure of snowflakes could be briefly explained, as all snowflakes have one molecular structure. Afterwards, exploring the website of www.snowflakebentley.com and taking a virtual tour of Bentley’s exhibit would be a natural science learning experience.

Reader Response:

1. What is the name of the town where Wilson Bentley was born and remained for his entire life?

2. What is the shape that all snowflakes have? (Answer: hexagon shape). 
3. Why do all snowflakes have this one shape, but no two are alike? (Answer: the molecular structure).

      There is something for everyone is this book. From the sidebars on most pages which explain more in depth factual information that older readers would enjoy, to the history and natural science of snowflakes, and learning about the story of a passionate and exciting man who saw the fascinating beauty around him. Truly a remarkable story that should be on every elementary school bookshelf.

Reference

Martin, J. (2009). Snowflake Bentley. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Sad Days, Glad Days: A Story about Depression - Realistic Fiction

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      Sad Days, Glad Days is a children’s picture book with an ample amount of text that describes what everyday life is like for Amanda. Amanda lives with her father, mother, and her cat named Alfred, Lord of the Alley. It appears that Amanda has a functioning family unit; however, her mother suffers from depression, an illness that can be mysterious to a child. On glad days, Amanda’s mother cooks her breakfast, making pancakes into animal figures. However, on sad days, Amanda has cold cereal with milk with she describes as “sad food.” It is a realistic fictional picture book that will help a child who lives with an apparent, or adult, who suffers from depression on a regular basis. Most importantly, the book explains that it is not any fault of the child, but that depression is a sickness that is not seen on the outside of a person, it is like trying to swim in thick syrup (Hamilton, 1995).

      The illustrations showing the days of depression are in a muted color scheme. On happier days, there are splashes of yellow and pink colors in the illustrations. This book is for elementary children ages 5 to 8, and even older children will find valuable knowledge with the information presented. Sad Days, Glad Days is a “simple story to help explain to children something of the nature of depression” (Hamilton, 1995).

      Classroom activities could include having children draw pictures of a person on a sad day, and then a contrasting picture of a person on a glad day. Then, a classroom discussion on depression, what the children learned about it from the book, and if any of the students know of a person who appears to be sad often.

Reader Response:

1.       What does Amanda’s father do to help her understand how to deal with her mothers’ depression?

2.       After helping Alfred, the injured cat, get back to health by offering him cereal every day, what present did Alfred bring to Amanda?

      It was a pleasure to see a book written for children on the subject of depression. Most importantly, children must know that they are not the cause of this hidden illness, and not the solution. Along with other realistic fiction books, this would be an excellent addition to an elementary school’s library as it touches on a subject that was not discussed 30 or more years ago.

Reference

Hamilton, D. (1995). Sad Days, Glad Days: A Story about Depression. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.

The Polar Express: The Magic Journey - Fantasy

Source: Google Images

      "All aboard the Polar Express, bound for the North Pole," states the conductor as he stepped out of the passenger car. "The boy hesitated. The North Pole? Could it really be true? There was only one way to find out. He climbed aboard" (West, 2004).

      So begins the fantasy journey to the North Pole, where the magic of Christmas, along with the elves, presents, reindeer  pulling Santa's sleigh, and Santa come alive. The train stopped in each of the children's' towns, where they boarded in the middle of the night. Each child had a specific need: Know-It-All's return ticket was stamped LEARN. The Lonely Boy's ticket was stamped three times. It first read DEPEND, then RELY, then COUNT. Meaning, "Because you can depend on, rely on, and count on your new friends." The girl's ticket read LEAD, and the last boy's ticket read BELIEVE. Which is the meaning of Christmas, to believe (West, 2004). 

      This picture book has the actual illustrations from The Polar Express film and is exciting, colorful, and engaging. It is a perfect read aloud book that would be perfect after the Thanksgiving holiday...to prepare for the season ahead. A teacher could use the children in the book, who rode the train to the North Pole, to explain the importance of friendship and concern for one's fellow being. Each child came from a different circumstance, but all had the same goal - to see the magic of Christmas.

Reader Response Questions:

1. What type of train did the children ride on to the North Pole?

2. What type of animals forced the train to stop as it was nearing the North Pole?

3. When a person truly believes, what will ring?

Designed for first through fifth grade, The Polar Express is for everyone, as adults of all ages will tremendously enjoy the story. As one is never to old to truly believe.

Reference

West, T. (2004). The Polar Express: The Magic Journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

The Secret in the Old Attic - Mystery

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      As a young girl, I enjoyed many of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. Mystery Series #21 is titled The Secret in the Old Attic, by Carolyn Keene. The main character in all of the Nancy Drew stories is Nancy, and along with her father Mr. Drew, solved many mysteries. 

      Once again, Nancy is involved in solving a mystery, that of stolen musical compositions originally written by a deceased young soldier.  The music was sold and became very popular, earning income for the thieves. Mr. March, an elderly man who has the care of his granddaughter Susan, is the father of Fipp (a nickname for Philip) who was the author of the music, and Susan is the daughter of Fipp. Mr. March is in desperate financial need and went to Nancy and her father Mr. Drew to help find the remaining musical manuscripts so that they can be rightfully published and income earned. Thus began the investigation which took Nancy to a chemical processing plant, and most especially inside the old attic in Mr. Marc's Victorian home, which had a secret room no one knew about.

      With many twists and turns and frightful experiences, the secret room and remaining manuscripts were discovered, with Nancy at risk of losing her life. Hence, although not stated in the book, Mr. March rightfully published the music created by his son Fipp and was financially able to care for his granddaughter Susan and live a comfortable life.

      Like all of Nancy Drew's Mystery books, they are written for older elementary and early middle school children, from 8 to 14 years old. The author Carolyn Keene is a  pen name for Mildred Wirt Benson (1905-2002) who was hired to write the manuscripts for the first books. A few sketched drawings are in the Nancy Drew books, as they are geared for older children and emphasize the highly energetic text. 

      As a classroom assignment, teachers could assign chapters to groups of students and have them collaborate together the main points and events in each chapter. Then afterwards, come together as a class to discuss, in the order of the chapters, and have afterwards a book review.

Reader Response Questions:

1. Who was Mr. March and why did he seek the help of Nancy Drew and her father?

2. How many songs were stolen and published?

Where was the secret room found and what did it contain?

      After many years, I enjoyed reading once again a Nancy Drew mystery. It is fast moving and exciting and I now can see what captured the interest of youth reading the books for many years. A fantastic series of books to instill creativity and vocabulary knowledge!

Reference

Keene, C. (1970). The Secret in the Old Attic. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

Israel: A Portrait of the Country Through Its Festivals and Traditions - NonFiction

A Menorah
Source: Google Pictures

      When many non-Jewish individuals think of Jewish holidays, the first one that comes to mind is Chanukah - the festival of lights. This holiday is around the same time as the Christian holiday of Christmas. "Candles are lighted and people remember the story of Judah Maccabee who fought for the Jews in ancient times" (Grolier, 1999). There are ten major Jewish holidays every year, and six minor holidays, in addition to special feasts.

      Israel: A Portrait of the Country Through Its Festivals and Traditions, a nonfictional book, explains all major holidays of the Jewish faith. From Rosh Hashanah to Purim to Pesakh - also known as Passover - all have special significance and meaning for every Jewish individual. The customs, beliefs, and some recipes connected to these Jewish holidays are explored within this book.

Celebrating Shauvot in Israel
Source: Google Pictures

      The grade level is for older children, from third grade up to seventh grade approximately, although young adults will also enjoy reading about Jewish faith and holidays. The font type is about a size 14 and is easily readable on optic white paper, while the pictures are placed appropriately on the pages corresponding to the holiday. Many of the pictures appear to be photographs and are life-like in appearance.

      This book would be valuable for a assignment regarding Jewish holidays, and to learn about the foods that go along with an ethnic culture. Additionally, a child or group of children could chose one recipe in the book and bring in the meal on a designated day. A Words to Know section is on page 31 which defines religious words not used in everyday life, such as "Deliverance, Atonement," and "Synagogue" (Grolier, 1999).

Reader Response Questions

1. What is the name given to the Jewish bible?

2. In the story of Mordecai and Esther, how did Queen Esther save the Jewish people in the land? Was Queen Esther also Jewish?

3. In what year was the State of Israel established?

      Personally, I think that elementary children should read about other cultures and the religion associated with the culture. This book Israel: A Portrait of the Country Through Its Festivals and Traditions should be one of several in a classroom library. Grolier Educational publishes at least fifteen other books on countries and their traditions and cultures.

Reference

Israel: A Portrait of the Country Through Its Festivals and Traditions. (1999). Grolier Educational. Singapore: Times Editions Pte Ltd.

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen - Biography

Cover of Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen
Source: Google Images

 
      Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen falls within the biographical nonfiction genre, as the story was told to the writer Michelle R. McCann by Luba Tryszynska-Frederick herself. The book could cross over into the historical nonfiction genre as “the facts and concepts are uppermost;” however, for this blog post it is considered as an episodic biographical as all events are true and “grounded in fact” as the primary source of information was Luba herself (Galda, Cullinan & Sipe, 2010).

      Luba was married to Herschel with a young son named Isaac when the Nazi soldiers took them away to Auschwitz. Upon arrival at the Camp, her husband and son were separated from her. Luba was eventually transported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, as the Nazi’s believed she was a nurse. It was at Bergen-Belsen she wondered why she was still alive and why was she spared.

      On the first night at Bergen-Belsen, the answer was made clear to Luba; fifty-four children were left abandoned in the field behind the camp. She heard their cries and ventured into the cold night, where she “led them back to the barracks.” It was in the female barracks where the children lived until April 1945 when the British liberated the Bergen-Belsen camp (McCann, 2003).

      Luba risked her life daily to find food and medicine for the children. All but two children of the fifty-four rescued survived the war and Luba personally went with them to Holland to be reunited with their families. With the offer by the Queen Wilhelmina of Holland to provide for her lifetime, Luba would not stay, she returned to Bergen-Belsen for the other orphans and escorted them back to their home countries. When in Sweden with the last group, she discovered none of her relatives were alive and emigrated to the United States, where she remarried and had two children.

      Illustrations are plentiful in this well organized and expertly written picture book and is appropriate for ages 6 to 9 years.  In addition to the captivating illustrations throughout the book, there are two actual photographs in the last few pages: one of which shows Luba and some of the children on the day of their liberation from Bergen-Belsen, the other shows Luba in 1994 with some of the surviving Diamond children at the fifty-year reunion in Amsterdam (McCann, 2003).

Luba is pictured front row, second from left
Picture taken on the day Bergen-Belsen was liberated by the British
Source: Google Images

      Thus, there is no doubt that this is a true story, as the bibliography shows the sources for numerous articles on Luba, including a New York Times article in 1947 reporting that the “ ‘Angel of Belsen’ Arrives.” Luba was a respected individual after WWII, settling down to reside in the United States permanently.

      Classroom activities could include a history lesson on WWII, including what brought the country of Germany to elect the barbaric dictator Adolph Hitler. The instruction of history is essential as the lessons from the past must be taught to children in order to avoid the same mistakes made, many of which included genocide of a particular religious or ethnic group, as in this story. Additionally, another classroom activity could be on the learning of the value of respect: respect for the life of another person regardless of their ethnic identity. As the Saint Leo University Core Value of Respect states:

“We value all individuals’ unique talents, respect for their dignity and strive to foster their commitment to excellence in our work. Our community’s strength depends on the unity and diversity of our people, on the free exchange of ideas, and on learning, living and working harmoniously.” (Saint Leo, 2017).

  

Reader Response Questions:

1.      Luba convinces the Nazi’s that she is a valuable person to keep alive. What was she known as to the Nazi’s?

2.      How did the Nazi’s distinguish Jewish prisoners from the other non-Jewish prisoners?

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen should be part of every classroom or school library as this will “enliven a social studies curriculum”…and will “illuminate a time and place by telling the story of an individual” who made such a difference in the world  (McCann, 2003).

 References

 Galda, L, Cullinan, B., Sipe, L. (2010). Literature and the Child, seventh edition. California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

McCann, Michelle R. (2003). Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen. California: Tricycle Press.

Core Values. (2017). Saint Leo University: Mission & Values. Retrieved from www.online.saintleo.edu/about-us/mission-values.aspx.